Archive for the ‘mdf’ Category

So our camera bit the dust shortly after the last post. Since then, I have mounted the supports for the x-axis lead screws, put the gantry together, and done a few other things. First, the assembled gantry:

And now, to slide the gantry on to the base. I ran into a minor problem here–the gantry is about 1/8″ too narrow. Fortunately, the 1/2″ MDF has just enough elasticity for me to force it onto the track. It might actually be a good thing–I don’t have to worry about having enough tension to keep the gantry in place. I will have to add some reinforcement to the vertical sides of the gantry at some point, to make sure I don’t end up breaking them. Of course, from what I’ve heard, all it has to do is last long enough to cut the pieces for my next, better CNC machine!

Today: put together the supports for the x-axis lead screws. I will be using 1/4″-20 all thread (it’s cheap!).

I bought the cheapest 1/4″ ID bearings I could find. They have a 12mm diameter shoulder and 22mm outside diameter. That’s roughly 1/2″ and 7/8″, respectively. Since I’m drilling the holes in MDF, there’s naturally some inaccuracy involved. The small amount of slack will be quite welcome when the time comes to adjust the bearings’ position.

A while back, I also put together the slides for the y-axis linear bearing. Nothing exciting here, just a couple pieces of MDF and some aluminum angle.

I’ve been wanting to build my own CNC machine for years now, and I’m finally in a position to do so. I’m cheap, which means I’ll be using inexpensive materials and lots of my own labor, rather than spending the money for a commercial project.

I’ve gone through a number of iterations on the design, and finally have one that I think meets the dual requirements of being A) within my skill-set, B) big enough to be useful, and C) within a modest budget. Unlike previous iterations, I haven’t made a google sketchup model of the machine, and I’m making it up a bit as I go along, so I fully expect the design to evolve as I go.

Last weekend, I started on the base. This is the simple stuff. I added some bracing underneath for stiffness, and now have the two side rails for the linear bearings.